Cat Itchy Skin with White Flakes

by Mark Kreitman
(Washington, DC)

My 25 pound 10 year old female cat Abby has flaky skin with tiny white surface dust on her back spinal area. She exhibits no illness except long oral cleaning conduct, unresponsive affection for her 10 pound co-age sister Slim, and resistance to exits from home to defecate in the yard.

Close attention to Abby's seems to cause me some itching as well. Her photo is attached. I would appreciate advice re how to best to to treat this infirmity.

Thanks.

Mark

Editor Suggestion:

Dear Mark,

I cannot say exactly what is going on with Abby without a physical exam and some diagnostic tests, but her symptoms fit very well with a disease called Cheyletiellosis. The mite that causes this disease can be transmitted between cats and people, which could explain why you are occasionally itchy as well.

I use Revolution to treat Cheyletiellosis in cats. If your vet is willing to prescribe Abby this medication, you could give it a try.

You should also treat Slim even if she doesn’t show any symptoms. If this doesn’t work, I’d get her in to your vet for an exam and a skin scraping, fungal culture and skin cytology.

Comments for Cat Itchy Skin with White Flakes

Hi. I'm responding to someone with a cat with flaky skin, Please keep in mind I'm not a vet, but had a fat cat (37 lb Maine coon) that had the same problem.

If your cat is fat, that may be one of the problems as they can't clean themselves and cleaning distributes oils etc. same as why humans brush their hair, what would ours look like after 6 mths of no brush).

Another may be the body is not absorbing the nutrients of the food (if kitty's been on the same diet forever or you are feeding cheap food) try switching foods, if that doesn't work, drizzle 1/4-1/2 tsp of cod liver oil or olive oil on food, you can also try vitamin E or salmon oil (break capsule in spoon, suck up w/ syringe) but before doing anything CHECK W/ YOUR VET 1st!

Each animal is different w/different needs, but your cat's body is telling you that something needs attention whether it be just regular hair brushing or something more serious.

Consider spending $5 extra on food. In the long run, they eat less, meaning you don't have to buy as often, less smelly in litter box and less waste in litter box, better for teeth, coat, easier on digestion, less risk of preventable sickness and disease down the road.

You wouldn't feed a kid McDonalds 3 times a day for the rest of his life. Why do that to an animal. Contact some premium pet food companies and some will sent u a free bag to try their product, most pet stores offer free samples.

Another reason could be stress related, did you move, get another animal, new baby, etc., or something way more serious, as you can see there could be many reasons why.